interfaith council
The Interfaith Council is a collaborative partnership between the Oxnard Police Department and faith leaders from our community. The group's purpose is to find and implement efforts that will help people, and help Oxnard become a better place. The Interfaith Council places emphasis on helping address the homelessness crisis in Oxnard.
Interfaith council members
Lance Ralston is the founding and lead pastor of Calvary Chapel Oxnard where he has served for 36 years. Lance & his wife Lynn have been married for 40 years, with 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. Lance loves teaching the Bible, History, and Leadership. He holds Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies and Ministry. He serves as a chaplain for the Port Hueneme Police Department and enjoys backpacking, wood-working, working out, gardening, home improvement projects, reading, and graphic design.
Adam Lopez has been a resident of Oxnard since 2000. He has been married to his wife Cristal for over 15 years and they have one daughter (Aislinn). He is very active in his church, the Oxnard Revival Center, and community. Here is a list of roles he actively fills (and the years he started in them): Community Relations Liaison - Revive Community Church (2011), Commissioner - City of Oxnard - Community Relations Commission (2017), Board of Directors for County Schools Federal Credit Union - (2019), Board of Directors for Action VC - (2018), Chief of Police Advisory Board (2018), O.P.D. Interfaith Council (2018), VC-ASH member (2016), Smoke Free Multiunit Housing Task Force (2019), & Government and External Affairs Liaison - Apostolic Assembly (2019).
Melissa Campbell-Langdell is an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church and serves as rector (priest/pastor in charge) at All Saints Episcopal Church / Iglesia Episcopal de Todos los Santos, Oxnard. Melissa was born in London, UK but moved to Southern California as a child. She has been ordained for eleven years and has served congregations in Riverside and Oxnard. Melissa enjoys serving in the multicultural, bilingual and welcoming context of "All Santos" and in the Oxnard community, with all its wonderful diversity and reaching out to the local community as a missioner of God's love. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York and a Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley. She and her wife, Alene (also an ordained Episcopal priest as well as a social worker), have a daughter, Genesis, and two cats, a dog and several fish.
Rabbi Dov Muchnik
Rabbi Dov Muchnik and his wife, Racheli, founded Chabad of Oxnard in 2003, where local residents and visitors can learn about and celebrate Jewish traditions in a warm and welcoming environment. Born in Brooklyn, Dov studied in rabbinical colleges in New York and Israel, and his internship included community service in the Former Soviet Union and South Africa. He was ordained by the Chief Rabbi of Israel. As spiritual leader of Chabad of Oxnard, Rabbi Dov inspires his congregants to lead lives of purpose, as enlightened by the teachings of Judaism. He and his wife host prayer services, Shabbat meals, holiday celebrations, classes, women’s events, lectures, and more. Rabbi Dov and Racheli are the parents of nine children. They established Lamplighters Jewish Academy as an outstanding educational opportunity for Jewish children in the area.
Rabbi Dov is honored to serve as a Police Chaplain for Oxnard and Port Hueneme, and in this role, he offers a listening ear, advice, comfort, and specialized guidance to those in need.
Mohammed Islam
Mohammed Islam is the president of the Islamic Center of Ventura County and he has been serving on the board and the community since 1993. He works for a dental manufacturing company as the Director of Quality Assurance and Research and Development. He believes that a strong interfaith community makes the world a much better place to live in.
Fernie Franco is the lead pastor of CityView Worship Church. He is an (MLC) Certified Professional Life Coach to celebrities and leaders of leaders, Author of dis.con.tinued, and his recently new released book to.be.continued. Fernie the owner of Franco Publishing Company and the Founder/President of the Thrive Mentorship House and lead pastor at CityView Worship Church of Oxnard. He has been in full time ministry for over 32 years, and has been married to Veronica Franco for the last 28 years. He has two adult children, Fernie Franco Jr. and Destiny Franco. His passion is to lift others up on their road to success.
Tim Helton is a founding member and co-chair of the Ventura County Interfaith Community which has been building bridges of understanding amongst people of various faiths since 2005.Tim Helton holds a Ph.D. and an MS from Drew University where he specialized in Anthropology of Religion and an MA in Theological Studies from Claremont School of Theology. Tim’s academic interests include comparative theology, Jainism, and Hinduism. He has done fieldwork amongst Jains in the United States as well in India both independently and in conjunction with the 2005 and 2009 International Summer School of Jain Studies. His doctoral dissertation compared the attitudes and their theological underpinnings towards consumerism amongst Jains and Christians. You can find more information about the Ventura County Interfaith Community at vcic.info.
Fermin Hernandez
Fermin Hernandez was born and raised in Oxnard, CA, the youngest of ten children attending primarily McKinna Elementary, Haydock Jr High, and Hueneme High School. He graduated with a B.A. in History from California State University, Northridge and a B.A. in Theology from St Paul Baptist Church Seminary and Bible College. He has Pastored, Centro Cristiano Familiar de Oxnard since its founding in 2005 and has worked as a Community Service Officer for the Oxnard Police Department with collateral assignments as a volunteer chaplain, Trauma Support Team, now Peer Support Team, and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit since 2006. Fermin is a trained facilitator for the Parent Project, Inc. and a trainer for the Loving Solutions and LivingWorks Suicide Alertness programs. Fermin has been happily married to Lucila Hernandez-Lopez and has five children, Genesis, Mia, Fermin, Eli, and Samuel.
Benjamin Thomas, Jr.
Rev. Benjamin Thomas is the Pastor of Pastor, Bethel AME Oxnard Church. He is an avid sports fan. Benjamin has a passion to help God's people. He is married to Tamara Thomas and the father of three children, Samara, Benjamin III, and Bryson.
Tim McDonnell retired as a captain from the Los Angeles Fire Department after 32 years of service. When not putting out fires, he served as head of international ministry at the local church level. He and his wife Maria are representatives for Peace Catalyst International and Tim serves as a core member of the Ventura County Interfaith Community.
Nelson Feliciano is the Lead Pastor of Evangelistic Center Church in the great city of Oxnard. It is a city that strives in unity to reach our community with a message of hope. We inspire, equip, build, and multiply to serve our city.
Emilio Ramirez
Emilio Ramirez was appointed Oxnard Housing Director on April 10, 2019. The Oxnard Housing Department oversees multiple City programs including the Housing Authority, Homeless Services, Grants, Affordable Housing Development, Homeownership Assistance, Grants, Fair Housing, Rent Stabilization, Contract Compliance and Economic Development.
He is a current gubernatorial appointee on California’s Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council.
Emilio graduated from the University of California, Riverside, with a B.A. in Sociology and Economics. He received his Masters of Science in Economics and Finance from California State University, Pomona. He also holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Whittier Law School and is an active member of the State Bar of California.
Teresa Telles
Teresa Telles is the youth safety coordinator for the Oxnard Police Department and oversees the California Violence Intervention Prevention grant. She was a volunteer for the grant for over 5 years before being hired. She was born and raised in Port Hueneme and Oxnard. She was an at risk youth, but by the grace of God she was able to turn her life around and this is what has fueled her passion to work with the same population in her community. She has worked with at risk youth for over 15 years for local non-profit organizations. She has been serving the lord for over 10 years, is a single mom of two amazing men and enjoys serving local ministries, serving at her church and ministering youth and women.
Youth Safety Coordinator, OPD Office of Youth Safety
Celso Marquez
Priest, Our Lady of Guadalupe